Syngenta and Delta & Pine Land enter long-term technology agreement in cotton

Basel, Switzerland
24 August 2004

Syngenta and Delta and Pine Land Company (D&PL) of the USA announced today a long-term agreement to develop and commercialize novel biotechnology products for cotton.

Syngenta will grant licenses to D&PL for its insect resistance biotechnology traits in cotton. In return, Syngenta will receive payments for the licenses and a share of grower technology fees.

The first product to be commercialized under the agreement is expected to be a novel insect control trait, VipCot™. This will be followed by stacked insect traits.

David Jones, Head of Business Development at Syngenta, commented: “This agreement with the market leader in cotton seeds will enable Syngenta to commercialize its portfolio of cotton traits. We are delighted that D&PL have, through this important commitment, recognized the quality of Syngenta’s science.”

Syngenta is a world-leading agribusiness committed to sustainable agriculture through innovative research and technology. The company is a leader in crop protection, and ranks third in the high-value commercial seeds market. Sales in 2003 were approximately $6.6 billion. Syngenta employs some 19,000 people in over 90 countries. Syngenta is listed on the Swiss stock exchange (SYNN) and in New York (SYT).

Delta and Pine Land Company is a leading commercial breeder, producer and marketer of cotton planting seed. Headquartered in Scott, Mississippi, USA, with multiple offices in eight US states and facilities in several countries, D&PL also breeds, produces and markets soybean planting seed in the USA.

Syngenta und Delta & Pine Land bilden langfristige Technologie-Allianz für den Baumwollanbau

Basel, Schweiz
24. August 2004

Syngenta und das US-Unternehmen Delta and Pine Land (D&PL) haben einen langfristigen Vertrag zur Entwicklung und zum Verkauf innovativer biotechnologischer Produkte für den Baumwollanbau abgeschlossen. Dies haben beide Unternehmen heute bekannt gegeben.

Syngenta gewährt D&PL Lizenzen für ihre biotechnologisch erzeugte Insektenresistenz in Baumwollpflanzen. Im Gegenzug erhält Syngenta Lizenz-Zahlungen sowie einen Teil der bei Baumwollpflanzern erhobenen Technologie-Gebühren.

Das erste Produkt, das auf Basis dieses Vertrages auf den Markt gebracht wird, ist voraussichtlich VipCot™, eine neue Technologie zur Insektenkontrolle. Kombinierte Technologien zur Insektenkontrolle werden später folgen.

David Jones, Leiter Business Development von Syngenta, sagte: "Diese Zusammenarbeit mit dem führenden Unternehmen auf dem Baumwoll-Saatgutmarkt ermöglicht es Syngenta, das eigene biotechnologische Portfolio gezielt für den Baumwollanbau auf den Markt zu bringen. Es freut uns sehr, dass D&PL mit diesem wichtigen Engagement die wissenschaftlichen Qualitäten von Syngenta anerkennt."

Syngenta et Delta & Pine Land concluent un accord technologique à long terme en matière de semences de coton

Bâle, Suisse
le 24 août 2004

Syngenta et Delta and Pine Land (D&PL), entreprise basée aux Etats-Unis, annoncent aujourd’hui la conclusion d’un accord à long terme dont l’objectif est le développement et la commercialisation de nouveaux produits biotechnologiques en rapport avec la production du coton.

Aux termes de cet accord, Syngenta octroiera à D&PL des licences protégeant l’utilisation de plusieurs événements biotechnologiques de résistance du coton aux insectes. En retour, Syngenta percevra, au titre de ces licences, des paiements d’exploitation ainsi qu’une participation sur les droits technologiques versés par les producteurs.

Le premier produit commercialisé dans le cadre de cet accord sera probablement VipCot™, un nouvel événement génétique de contrôle biologique des insectes.

David Jones, Directeur de la division Business Development de Syngenta, a déclaré : «Cet accord avec le leader des semences de coton permettra à Syngenta de commercialiser son portefeuille d’événements génétiques de coton. Nous sommes enchantés que D&PL reconnaisse, à travers cet important engagement, la qualité des contributions scientifiques de Syngenta.»

Delta & Pine Land Company announces agreement to license Syngenta cotton traits

Sootts, Mississippi
August 24, 2004

Delta and Pine Land Company (D&PL) and Syngenta announced today that D&PL has acquired licenses from Syngenta to deliver novel biotechnology products to cotton growers worldwide. Under the agreements with Syngenta, D&PL obtains global licenses to develop and commercialize Syngenta’s innovative insect resistance traits, as well as licenses to a wide range of other Syngenta enabling technologies that may be useful in developing new valuable technologies for use in cottonseed and soybean seed.  

Tom Jagodinski, D&PL President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “This agreement with Syngenta represents a substantial move forward within our technology strategy to provide increased value to farmers and to bring to farmers technology from an additional source.   Cotton producers count on D&PL genetics, and we have taken several steps in recent years to ensure our varieties are paired with the best technologies.  For some time, we have been working with Syngenta on a research basis and the potential of their technology to farmers and D&PL is clear.  We are very pleased to be able to expand our relationship to offer Syngenta’s excellent technology to our customers.”

In return for the licenses, D&PL will pay Syngenta approximately $47 million in installments.  Upon commercialization of products containing Syngenta traits, D&PL will receive 70% of the net licensing revenues related to the insect resistant traits covered by the agreements.

The first product to be commercialized under the agreements will be VipCotÔ, a novel insect control trait.  Depending on the timing of regulatory approval, D&PL expects to have limited quantities of seed available as early as 2006.  Subsequent varieties are expected to contain VipCot stacked with a herbicide tolerant trait and thereafter with another insect resistant gene.

Randy Dismuke, D&PL Senior Vice President for the U.S. business, said, “Farmers have indicated a clear interest in elite genetics teamed with top-performing technologies.  According to USDA data in 2003, the percentage of cotton acreage planted to transgenics was 76 percent, a number that has grown consistently since our introduction of transgenic cotton in 1996.  The largest growth area in the past few years has been in stacked varieties.  By increasing the number of technologies available to us, we can ensure our ability to offer cotton producers the traits and the combinations of traits they find most beneficial on their farms.”

D&PL’s technology strategy is designed to offer a variety of technologies from multiple sources to farmers in the near-term and into the future.  D&PL’s commercial varieties currently contain Monsanto’s Bollgard®, Bollgard® II and Roundup Ready® traits.  In addition, D&PL has incorporated Monsanto’s Roundup Ready® Flex technology and Syngenta’s VipCot traits into its research and testing programs.  D&PL also continues to develop insect resistance, herbicide tolerant and nematode resistance traits for cotton through its joint venture with Verdia (now owned by DuPont).

Delta and Pine Land Company is a leading commercial breeder, producer and marketer of cotton planting seed.  Headquartered in Scott, Mississippi, with multiple offices in eight states and facilities in several foreign countries, D&PL also breeds, produces and markets soybean planting seed in the U.S.